Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards For Short Story

[MATURE CONTENT R-18] Two cousins. An enormous inheritance. Two conditions. And a six-month deadline. Declan Laxamana, a self made billionaire at the age of twenty-seven, encountered a predicament regarding his grandfather’s last will. Don Carlos Laxamana, the patriarch of the Laxamana Real Estate Companies, passed away with a ridiculous conditions on his will that Declan, and his cousin Crem Laxamana has to abide before they could get their hands on the enormous inheritance the late Don left. Declan has no desire with his grandfather’s fortune as he has made his own name in the business industry and is a billionaire himself, but a property verbally given to him by Don Carlos Laxamana is at stake. Secret Cliente Resort, a private island in Batanes that Declan developed and is famous among the business elite might fall in the hands of Hideo Laxamana, the adopted grandson of the late Don Carlos, along with his position as COO if the conditions of the will are not met. What is he willing to do for the inheritance that is rightfully his?

My dormmate invites me to a college mate's engagement party. I choose an expensive tailor-made gown for the occasion. When I arrive at the hotel, I see several of my former classmates are already there. Everyone looks like they're doing well—they're wearing expensive clothing. Someone is even wearing something from a luxury brand. As soon as I enter the private room, a familiar classmate rolls her eyes at me. "Look at who it is—the woman who was once the most outstanding student in our class. You're dressed so plainly for such an important occasion." Everyone is circled around the classmate who's wearing something from a luxury brand. They ignore me. Only our former class monitor clinks glasses with me and consoles me softly. "It's good enough that you're here. You're dressed plainly, but don't give up. You'll succeed one day." I sip my wine and smile. "My outfit may not be too opulent, but it's an expensive, tailor-made piece. It's 100% handcrafted by a master designer."

I always get what I want. Every time. But not with her. The beautiful woman my father forced on me through our billion-dollar firm has curves that make me ache. Never in my short life did I imagine falling for her. Office romances are forbidden in my company. But she’s a rule breaker. I guess I am too, but no one knows that side of me. This single mother with brilliant business sense has a side hustle and still kicks ass at my firm daily. There’s no way in hell she’s giving in. No matter what I try. Not even when Valentine’s rolls around. And I pull out all the stops. Her denial has me needing her like I’ve never needed anyone else. Where this girl is concerned, I’m not asking for a friend. I’m asking for me. For today. Tomorrow. Forever.

I, Mona Goldheart, decide to tell my mate, Edmund Ryker, about my pregnancy on my birthday. But Edmund, who never misses my birthday, misses it this time. The reason he cited was that he had to attend a very important meeting. I don't believe it. When I rush over to his company, I see him holding a birthday party for Amy Drumm, the Omega he brought back to our pack not long ago. Watching as the two of them act so intimately, I contacted Edmund through our mind-link. I ask, "Is the meeting going well?" Edmund holds Amy in his arms, laughing happily. But when he replies to me, his tone is flat, as if he really is attending a meeting. He says, "It's going well. When I finish, I'll come back and celebrate your birthday." I sneer and reply, "Turn around and take a look."

My grandfather is hit by a car, and his skull is shattered. I take the driver to court. That's when I find out my husband, Stuart Creed, who was supposedly abroad on a business trip, is suddenly at the hospital. He looks at me coldly and snaps, "Do you have any idea how important Maddy’s valedictorian announcement is? Her future can't be ruined by some car accident! Drop the case right now, or I'll cut off all your credit cards and have your grandfather kicked out of the VIP ward!" He slams the door and storms out. Before that, he snarls, "Come home when you agree. Until then, forget about calling yourself Mrs. Creed!" While I'm out desperately trying to gather money for my grandfather's surgery, a team of lawyers contacts me. Turns out the patent my grandfather once authorized to Creed Group has expired. And now, I'm the new legal owner.

Three years ago, Lucas’ mother paid me ten million dollars to play his fated mate with the help of a potion. Lucas believed I was hopelessly in love with him. What he didn’t know was that I was nothing more than a hired actress. By day, I stood at his side during training. By night, he paraded a she-wolf through the mansion. He once sneered, “Don’t delude yourself into thinking the mate bond can change me.” I only smiled, silently counting my money. “Funny, because I never planned on giving you my heart, either.” On the day the potion wore off, I walked away with the fortune, while he spiraled into madness. Three years later, I returned victorious as the youngest S-class strategy consultant. There he was, on his knees, murmuring, “I was wrong.” Little did Lucas know that his arrogance, handed out like charity, had carried a hefty price tag of ten million. Now, even if he lost everything, it still wouldn’t be enough to buy my forgiveness.

At an investor banquet, my fiancé Tanner Clarkson’s secretary, Willow Thorne, recklessly throws a glass of wine at an investor and hurls insults without thinking. In retaliation, the investor demands that Willow make it up to him with her body, or he'll pull his funding. To ensure the company's successful IPO, Tanner hands me a glass of spiked wine. Then, he pushes me to the investor, expecting me to extinguish his flames of rage. His eyes are filled with feigned hesitation as he says, "Willow isn't like you. She just graduated—she's pure and innocent. Stop fighting it, Kathy. I'll make it up to you once the company goes public." When I regain consciousness, I stare at the man across from me, my voice hoarse. "About that deal you mentioned... I'll sign it."

This is a story about a husband and his ex-wife. It is about their past, present, and future. What will happen when they cross their path again? Will they ever get back together again? It hurts when two people are separated even before giving each other a chance because of a third party and misunderstanding. Still, nothing is more beautiful than when they come back together and move forward in life by leaving their past behind. It is okay to not forget about the past, but it is important to forgive and give a second chance to each other and life. It is an inevitable love story of two individuals who fall in love and get past their divorce, and are with each other again.

"If you don't give me an heir, you'll lose everything. I've brought a woman to bear you a child," Asher's father, the former CEO of Ingram Corporations threatened his son. Suddenly, a brilliant idea came into Asher's mind. Anne. With her twin boys, he could trick his father into thinking they were his for the short moment he had left to live. "That won't be necessary father. I already have an heir, two in fact, and I can't wait for you to meet them." *** Five years ago, Anne was publicly humiliated and banished, after giving herself to Asher, the heir to Ingram Corporations and the man she truly loved. A one-night affair left her pregnant and she had to raise the children on her own for five years. She's playing a risky game by letting him pretend with her children when she already knows the truth, but her thirst for revenge blinds her. Asher, the stoic charismatic billionaire can't stand his ailing father pressuring him to settle down and have a male heir, completely unaware he already has twin five year old boys. He has no desire to settle down with one woman, but when he meets Anne, the woman whom he once loved but had his father separate them when he was younger, he feels drawn to her all over again. He enters an agreement with her to pretend the kids are his before his father, in order to secure his inheritance. What happens when he discovers the children are truly his? Will she let him into their lives after everything he's put her through? Will he forgive her for keeping such an important part of his life away from him? Or will they let their feelings for each other prevail against all odds?

Louis has had series of failed marriages and he was about to have his third wedding when his bride-to-be vanished without warning, leaving him with a wedding in shambles and a reputation in tatters, desperate to salvage his pride and avoid further humiliation, Louis embarked on a frantic quest to find a replacement bride. The wedding plans are in motion and everything has been paid, so he was forced to turn to Flavia, a woman he despised with every fiber of his being. Their mutual hatred was very noticable, and their union seemed doomed from the start. Yet, they sealed their fate with a kiss, exchanging vows in a ceremony that was bound to end in doom. Flavia and Louis's home became nothing short of a battleground, a war zone where two menace clashed in anger, resentment, and disdain. It was obvious that their loveless marriage would be a never-ending cycle of conflict and chaos. But when a common enemy emerged, threatening to destroy everything they had, Louis and Flavia were forced to put their differences aside and work together. Could they find a way to put their hatred aside and forge an unlikely alliance, or would their marriage crumble under the pressure? The battle lines were definitely drawn, and the war between Louis and Flavia was about to take a dramatic and unexpected turn but what will be the outcome?